Nightwing:When Worlds Collide
by HighNote
Summary: When Nightwing receives alarming news from Jason Todd, can He,Batman and a rag-tag band of heroes save not only their world, but the worlds of a newly discovered universe? Rated M for language and violence. New chapters coming soon! R&R please!
1. Alarming News

* * *

**WARNING!!... If you are a comic book geek like myself then you will notice that within this fanfic there are some creative liberties taken. Don't worry I've made the characters as close to their personalities as possible, but, I'm using the version of each character that I like the best. For instance you will notice that I refer to Alan Scott as the Sentinel (which he hasn't been referred to as since the 90's).**

**This is only the first chapter of this story. I hope you'll stay with me to the end. God Bless.**

**Disclaimer:I do not own any of the characters in this fanfic, I only wrote the story.**

**And please also note that when I use italics it is generally to show that the character is only thinking, not speaking.**

* * *

The sun peaked slowly over the horizon as Dick Grayson got up from his bed.

_What a night. I think every thug in New York decided to take a night on the town._

He made his way to the bathroom, already dreading the sight he knew he was about to see, but to his surprise, his bruises were minimal at best.

_I thought I was going to be bruised to hell. Well, I guess I did better than I thought._

He picked up his toothbrush, squeezed on some toothpaste, and started brushing. Just as he spit the last bit out of his mouth, he heard a knock at the door.

_Who could that be, it's just after six a.m.?_ he thought to himself as he made his way to the living room of his apartment.

He looked through the peephole to see who was rude enough to show up on his doorstep at six a.m. uninvited. To his surprise it was Jason Todd, former Robin, former Red Hood, former homicidal maniac, Dick wasn't so sure that last one wasn't still true. He opened the door and Jason walked right in.

"Please, come in!" Dick said sarcastically.

"I don't have time for pleasantries Dick."

"With you around, Todd, nothing is ever 'pleasant'."

"Look, I don't have time to argue with you, I need your help."

Dick's eyes widened. "I didn't think anything short of the world coming to an end would make you ask for **my** help."

"That's just it, Dick." Jason said, reaching into his pocket. "If we don't do something, the world **will** come to an end."

From his pocket, he produced a small disc. "This will explain everything." He said, handing over the disc. "I've got some more work to do. I'll be back at noon."

"I don't remember inviting you **this** time, Jason."

"We don't have time for this now, just check the disc!"

"Alright ,Jason, I can see you're genuinely distressed, so I'll look into it."

"Thanks, Dick." Jason said, turning towards the door.

Dick closed the door as Jason made his way out.

"Well, let's see what you're hiding." he said, looking at the disc.

Upon uploading it to his computer, he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary at first. Just some schematics for a new building going up in Westchester, then, clicking on another file, he saw what Jason had been talking about. Somehow Lexcorp had stumbled upon the existence of another world, and they were creating a portal that would take them there. Also, he noticed a large amount of weapons purchases within the last year.

_So, they've been at this for over a year now. _he thought.

In the weapon log, he found purchases of everything from simple handguns to missiles large enough to level a city.

_They're planning to conquer this other world!  
_

According to the files, the portal was nearing completion, and within the next month, would be finished. That, of course, depended on how up-to-date this information was. He copied all the files to his computer and attached them to a secure e-mail. About five minutes later the phone rang. He didn't bother to look at the caller I.D. before answering, he already knew who was on the other line.

"What do you think Bruce?" he asked quickly

"You know what I think Dick. Something has to be done. We don't know what resides in that world, for all we know it could be worse than Darkseid."

"Well, what are we going to do?"

"When Jason gets back at noon, you two are coming here. Don't be late." he heard a click as Bruce cut the communication.

_Still, I can't help but wonder... What the hell has Jason dragged me into? _he thought, gathering his equipment together. He had a feeling it was going to be a long trip.

* * *

Everyone sat, waiting anxiously around the table in the Batcave, all was silent, save for the occasional flap of batwings in the air. Nightwing, now dressed in his costume was scanning all of the faces at the table. Selena Kyle, also known as Catwoman, sat only a couple of chairs down from him, in her purple cat-suit, with the mask pulled back behind her head.

_Well, I guess since pretty much everyone at this table knows each-other there's no reason to hide. Still, I think I'll keep my mask on for now._ he thought, continuing his analysis of the rag-tag group assembled at the table.

He made note of Jason Todd, sitting to his immediate left, then, next to Jason, he noticed Helena Bertinelli, The Huntress.

_Oh great, ripping my heart out wasn't enough, now she's back._

Then, even further down, was Kyle Rayner and Connor Hawke, Green Lantern and Green Arrow. And on the other side of the table were, Cassandra Cain, her Batgirl mask pulled behind her head, Black Canary, sitting silently with her arms crossed, and finally, Alan Scott, former Green Lantern, now known as the Sentinel.

_Well, that makes ten of us all together. Nice round number, but I wonder why Bruce thinks we'll need so many._

"Ok I'm getting really bored now, Bats." Green Lantern said, leaning back in his chair. "Why did you call us here?"

Batman gave him a stern glare, causing him to sit up strait. Nightwing couldn't help but crack a smile. Green Lantern, a guy who could level mountains with that ring of his, practically shaking in his boots when Batman (a man with no superpowers) so much as stared at him. It was hilarious.

It didn't take long for Batman to speak up.

"I called you all here because we have a genuine crisis on our hands. Upon further analysis of the information Nightwing sent me, I've made a discovery."

"Which would be?" Helena asked, tapping her fingers on the table, obviously bored.

"Don't interrupt me again." he growled, then, his voice regained its normal tone."In our universe there exist at least 52 unique worlds, each one like a fingerprint, no two are the same. But they each have one thing in common; they each have multiple wavelengths, again all of them unique, except one; there's one barely noticeable wavelength that remains constant. According to these files, Lexcorp has found another of these worlds, or at least that's what I thought at first."

Nightwing looked over at Black Canary, whose jaw looked like it was about to fall off, then realized that his mouth was hanging open as well. He closed his mouth and returned his attention to Batman.

"After taking a closer look and running some tests I've found out that not only have they found another world, but one with a wavelength that's completely alien." The Huntress, Catwoman, and Green Arrow all started to laugh. Sentinel stood up, surrounded by a green glow, and spoke in a voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"**This is no laughing matter! If Lexcorp succeeds in opening this portal, who knows what could be on the other side. And not only that, but if Luthor were to make allies in that world then he would be unstoppable in this world."**

All at once the voice faded and the laughter ceased. Nightwing stood up and placed his fists on the table, placing most of his weight on it.

"So what's the plan, Batman?"

"We fight our way through Lexcorp's secret base and shut them down."

"What, that's it? Care to elaborate on that a bit?"

"I'll explain on the way. This meeting is over, grab your gear and board the jet!"

And with that, everyone stood up, grabbed their bags, and moved toward the jet without hesitation.

* * *

Once on-board the jet, everyone began talking amongst themselves. Black Canary was laughing at something Huntress whispered in her ear.

_No doubt they're laughing at me. _Nightwing thought, turning his back to them.

"Hello Nightwing." Batgirl said, placing a hand on his shoulder, turning him around.

"It's been awhile Cassandra. How have you been?"

"Pretty good I guess, considering all that's happened lately."

"Yea, sorry I had to knock you out. I'm just glad you're on our side again."

He shot her his trademark, award winning smile. She couldn't help but smile back.

"You know, I'll bet that smile drives the girls crazy."

"It gets the job done." he chuckled. "Well, I'd better go talk with Bruce, see if I can pick his brain a little bit."

"Ok, see you later."

He made his way to the back of the jet, managing to barely avoid slipping on the fake vomit someone had left in the floor as a joke.

_Very funny, Rayner._ he thought.

When he got to the last room on the jet, he closed the door behind him, leaving him alone with Batman, sitting behind a desk. Just as he was about to speak, Batman interrupted.

"Before you say anything, Dick, I didn't tell you about the other universe because I didn't know until, literally, minutes before your arrival."

Nightwing managed to stifle an expression of shock.

_Damn, how does he do that?_

"Dick, you know you're the person I trust the most on this 'team' of ours, which is why I withheld key information at the meeting."

"What information is that, Bruce?"

"There was a hidden file on the disc. I would've missed it if I hadn't gone back to double check everything."

"I had Oracle do a scan for me and she couldn't find anything!"

"She didn't look hard enough. The point is, the hidden file contained video footage of the other world."

"So?"

"So, I found something you might want to see, Dick."

Batman got up from his seat and escorted Nightwing to the computer on the other side of the room and inserted a small disc into the drive. After a brief load-time, the video began to play. It was a video of a group of super-powered beings standing against a man in an iron suit with a green cape and hood.

"These are the heroes of that universe." Batman said, turning his attention to Nightwing.

"Well, maybe if worse comes to worst, they can help us close off the portal."

"That's assuming they don't want to expand their influence. You and I know the importance of maintaining the natural order of things, but they may not feel the same way. I was only able to find out a few of their names, and those only because I heard their friends call them that during a fight, but, with what I've gathered, I managed to scrape together an assessment of their powers and fighting styles. I want you to study them very closely." he handed Nightwing a disc containing the attributes of the other worlds 'heroes'.

"If it comes to blows between us and 'them', shouldn't the others know a little something about them?"

"With what little bit I've scraped together, you're the only one who can come up with a decent battle plan. Dick, you'll be my second-in-command on this one."

Nightwing could feel his jaw drop, but, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't do anything about it.

"O-Ok, who are you and what have you done with the **real** Batman?" he said jokingly.

"This is no time for joking Dick!" Batman returned. "We've never faced another team of 'heroes' quite like these, we have no way of knowing what to expect. I want you to be ready for anything." he paused for a moment before finishing. "Dick, there's a chance some of us may not make it back."

Nightwing's eyes felt like they were about to pop out of his head.

_In all the years I've known him, YEARS, he's never said anything like that. I mean we always know the threat is there, but he never thought it serious enough to make the statement! _

Suddenly he realized that he had spaced out. With a quick blink he was back to reality.

He looked down to see that Batman had returned his attention to the monitor, obviously trying to end the conversation.

_Oh no, If he thinks he's going to get out of this one that easily, he's got another thing coming!_

"You're not going to avoid this one, Bruce!"

"We'll talk about this later."

"We'll talk about this now!" Nightwing yelled, slamming his fist on the desk. "I'm not a little kid anymore, Bruce, stop trying to protect me!"

"There are some things I can't even tell you, Dick."

"You know Bruce, that line worked great when I was eight years old, but in case you haven't noticed…"

"I'm fully aware that you're a grown man now, but even so, there are some things you just aren't ready to deal with."

Nightwing could feel his face getting hot.

"I see how it is. You're afraid Bruce. Everyone thinks the big, bad Batman isn't afraid of anything, well they're wrong. You're too much of a coward to let anyone get close to you, afraid you'll be hurt. You've always taken the coward's way out, even with me, your own son!"

"Dick I…"

"I know, I know. I'm not you're real son, but just the same I always looked up to you like a father! I never doubted for once that you loved me and wanted what was best for me, but you were too damn scared to show it! I only wanted you to **treat** me like the adopted son I was. I guess I was asking too much. You'll never change, will you? You'll never let anyone get close because **you** don't want to get hurt or deal with the pain of, maybe, hurting someone else."

Suddenly Nightwing became aware that he was holding Batman by the collar. He immediately let go.

"Bruce I'm… sorry…I"

"Forget it. Go study those files. I'll see you when we touch ground."

He left the room, leaving Nightwing alone.


	2. Hearts And Minds

**Ok here's chapter two! I know it took awhile but I think it was worth-it. But that's just me. Anyways, in this chapter I thought I'd introduce one of my favorite comic book characters into the story. I won't say who it is though, you'll just have to read the chapter. There's also a bit of romance in this chapter, and i think I'm going to piss a lot of people off with who I picked haha! I know this relationship will seem WRONG, but that's why I did it. It's meant to be wrong! It's something no one else has done before! Anyways, reviews are always welcome, be they good or bad. Enjoy**

* * *

Nightwing sat alone for five hours strait, reviewing the video footage over and over again.

_Ok. This guy in the red mask seems to have exceptional strength and agility. _he thought to himself. _But he also seems cocky and impulsive, judging by some of his actions. That can be used to our advantage._

"I heard you coming, Cass." he said suddenly, not bothering to look away from the monitor.

"And here I was hoping I could surprise you." she sighed.

"Maybe with another five years practice…if you're lucky." he smiled.

"So I see your argument with Bruce hasn't stifled your playful sarcasm."

"You heard that, huh?"

"Just me and Helena"

"Oh great, what did **she** have to say?"

"Nothing. I think she's sorry for what she did to you, Dick."

"What are you doing talking to her anyway, Cass? I told you she's bad news."

"We were talking about…you."

He turned around in his chair to face her. He noticed confusion in her eyes as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Why, did she corner you and start trash-talking me?"

"No, Dick, it wasn't like that at all. I went to her."

Nightwing's eyes widened."What could you possibly need to know about me that I couldn't tell you myself?"

She paused for a moment, looking at the floor, the ceiling, then back to the floor before answering.

"I wanted to know what kind of woman you liked."

"Why do you need to know?"

"Because I…I… just needed to know."

Nightwing got up from his seat and stood in front of her.

"Cass, you can be strait with me, you know that."

"But… I've never had feelings like this before and…"

"And?"

"…they scare me!"

He paused for a moment, stunned, then, slowly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. She buried her face in his chest, sobbing.

"You don't have to be afraid, Cass." he said soothingly.

"B-but I don't even know how to… how to… love." she managed to say between sobs.

"Neither do I."

He released his grip and took a step back. Then, placing his hands on either side of her face, he wiped away her tears.

_What the hell am I doing? _He thought to himself. _I can't get involved with anyone again! If I do I'll hurt her, just like I hurt Babs and Kory. _

She moved in a little closer. His touch was like heaven to her. All she wanted in this moment was him, just him, the man behind the mask.

_Think fast Grayson! I can't let this happen. _

His mind raced, wondering what to do. She moved closer again, seeing no resistance.

_Damn it, Dick, think fast! Remember how you hurt Kory and Babs! Don't do this to Cass, she's too fragile! _

_But I… need her. _

_Stop talking like that! Think fast or she's going to kiss you! _

_Would that really be so bad? _

_Yes, it would be bad you idiot savant! _

_But what will happen if I turn her away, won't that hurt her too? _

_Yes, but she'll get over it if you do it now! Hurry, Damn it! _

And again, closer she came. He could feel her against him.

_This feels both wrong and right at the same time._ He thought.

_Don't let her get any closer! Say something! DO something! _

She reached up to kiss him.

_This is your last chance Grayson, you're poison, stop this now before she gets hurt! Before she ends up like Kory!  
_

The next instant their lips met.

_To hell with it! This is what I want. _He thought to himself. For several minutes, they stood there, locked in a moment of passion, just a simple, sweet, kiss.

* * *

Sitting in the cockpit of the jet, Batman began going over the coordinates. He had already checked and double-checked them just moment earlier. The real reason he was going over them again was to get his mind off of his argument with Nightwing.

_Dick, I wish I could be the father you want me to be, but I just can't. _He thought to himself.

But it wasn't just the fight that was bothering him. He could have sworn he saw Nightwing's eyes glowing green as he lost his temper. Eventually he dismissed it as nothing.

_I must be tired. I didn't sleep at all last night, Joker saw to that. It must be my imagination._

Suddenly he heard a beeping sound coming from the console. He pressed a series of buttons and a familiar voice came over the speakers.

"Bruce, are you there?"

"Go ahead Zatanna." he responded in his usual, cold tone.

"Something strange is going on. My assistants and I were rehearsing for tonight's show at the Gotham Plaza when, suddenly, I saw him."

Batman's eyes widened. He prayed she wasn't about to say what he was thinking.

"Who did you see, Zatanna?_"_

"Ivar Loxias"

With those words, his worst fears came true.

"I was afraid of this."

"Afraid of what? Bruce, is there something you're not telling me?"

"Cancel your show for tonight and meet me on the jet."

"The jet?! Well, I guess I'm in for a long trip huh?"

"You have no idea. One hour from now, I'll be waiting in an empty room. Just so you won't reappear inside a wall or hurt anyone."

"You think of everything, Bruce" she replied with a chuckle. "See you in an hour. Tuc noitacinummoc."

With the last two words, the room became silent once again.

_Her and her spells. _he thought as he left the room.

* * *

Again, Nightwing sat alone at the computer, reviewing the video footage for what he thought to be the hundredth time. He had draped a blanket over Batgirl after she fell asleep watching the footage with him. He paused the video and turned the chair around to look at her.

_She's so beautiful. How could I have done this to her, knowing how it will end? I mean, I do care for her deeply but… damn it, I just don't know! _

He shook his head.

_Anyways, I think it's time for me to call it quits for the night. _

He got up and walked towards Batgirl. He stood over her for a moment, unmoving, just staring at her. Finally, he bent down and gave her a peck on the forehead. Her eyes opened a little.

"How long was I out?" she said in a drowsy voice.

"About and hour and a half." he smiled.

"I'm sorry. I was supposed to watch with you."

"Forget about it, it's not like its your responsibility, it's mine."

"Well, I won't fall asleep this time." she said, sitting up in her chair.

"I know you won't," he chuckled "because I'm quitting for the night."

"Oh. Alright." she yawned.

"Come on Cass," he said, helping her up. "We've only got about two hours to get some sleep."

"I'm fully rested." she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm more interested in **nocturnal activities**."

Nightwing gently pushed her back a step.

"Cass, I haven't slept for two days already, I really need to get some rest."

She let out a deep sigh.

"Ok then, I'll see you in two hours."

"Goodnight, Cass."

"Goodnight."

In his room, Nightwing sat down on his bed.

_I felt terrible lying to her about that but…I'm still not sure about all this. _

The truth was he'd slept like a baby the night before, but his mind was still haunted by the thought that he might hurt yet another person close to him. As he lied down to try and get some sleep, his mind wandered back to his time with both Kory and Barbara, especially Kory, after what had happened. After an hour of endless self-debate, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Zatanna paced the floor, watching the clock very closely.

_Four more minutes. _she thought. _I have a bad feeling about all this. _

She paused and glanced at the clock again.

_Three minutes and thirty-two seconds. Hurry up you stupid clock! _

All her life she'd always been impatient, as she imagined any child with magical abilities would be. After all, why should you wait for something when you could make it magically appear right in front of you? Her father ,Zatara, tried to teach her the meaning of patience when she was a child, but it never took. He tried to be stern with her, but she would just look at him with her big, blue eyes and his stern glare would fade into a smile. From time to time she caught herself chuckling just thinking about it. She took another look at the clock.

_One minute to go. _She smiled.

"Gnikrow sehtolc reappa."

As she uttered the spell, her clothing began to change from casual sweats to her stage clothes.

_Well Bruce, looks like you've pulled me into something crazy again. _

One last glance at the clock told her it was time to leave. She stood in the middle of the room and spoke the spell that would carry her away.

"Reappa txen ot namtab!"

The last word still hung in the air as her figure faded into nothing.

* * *

**And there you have it! The chapter that will, probably, be the one to piss off the most people! And yea I just had to throw in Zatanna. I mean c'mon she's totally rad! And I know I haven't really paid off the "other world" thing yet but don't worry, that will come. I PROMISE I'll pay it off! And, although this is a story about Nightwing, I promise, I'm going to give all the heroes their chance to shine.**


	3. Panic In The Sky

**Well, here's chapter three...FINALLY! I've been so busy lately it took me awhile to get it finished. Oh, and thanks to the two of you who cared enough to review. I could use more of those (hint hint). Anyways, this chapter, as I knew from the beginning, will see our heroes to the island base. I'll start work on chapter four soon. Enjoy!**

* * *

Batman stood alone in a private room in the jet. Everyone else was getting what little sleep they could before they reached the base.

_She'll be here any second. _he thought, looking around at the empty room. He had removed everything to the edges of the room so that she wouldn't materialize inside of anything. _Can't have her getting vivisected by a table or chair. _

One breath later, she appeared to his right.

"It's good to see you again, Bruce." she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "How have you been?"

"I'm fine, Zatanna. I hope you've already gotten some sleep today, because it's unlikely you'll be getting anymore for awhile."

"Alright, Bruce." she said, rubbing her temples. "You've kept me in the dark long enough. What the hell is going on?"

"It turns out that Jason-"

"Jason Todd? I though he still hated your guts."

"Can I finish, please?"

Her cheeks turned crimson. "Oh, sorry, go ahead."

"Thank you." he said, slightly annoyed. "He showed up at Dick's apartment early this morning, giving him some information."

"What kind of infor…" she stopped suddenly, realizing she was interrupting him again (something he hated terribly.) "Nevermind. Go ahead."

"Dick sent me the information and, after a thorough analysis, it turns out that Lexcorp has found a way to access another dimension. And that's not the worst part, Dick found a list of weapons Lexcorp has been purchasing for months, and it looks like they're going to try and, possibly, take over this new world. But…" he paused.

"What is it, Bruce?"

"… I think it's something more sinister."

"What could be more sinister than conquering an unsuspecting world?"

"I'll voice my suspicions later. Right now, I need to tell you the main reason I asked you here."

"Yes, I've been wondering about that myself. You know, secrecy is highly overrated."

Batman continued, ignoring her joke.

"I was able to access a file containing information on some of the heroes of this other world."

"Don't tell me we're going to be fighting other heroes! Shouldn't we be working **with** them?"

"Agreed. But they may not feel the same way, and, if that's the case, we have to be ready."

"I guess that makes sense, anyway, I assume one of them has magical abilities, which would explain why you need me." she smiled. "See, I can play detective too."

"Hilarious." he replied grimly. "But yes, you're right. I'll let you watch some footage of him and see what you think."

He showed her to the computer in the corner of the room, inserted the disc and stepped back.

"Here, I'll get you a chair."

"No need. Riahc evom revo ereh." she said casually as a chair floated through the air from across the room, gently setting on the floor in front of her.

"Just couldn't let me be a gentleman, could you?" he said, cracking a smile.

"When Bruce Wayne does it, it's fine, when Batman does it, it creeps me out." she chuckled. He pulled back his mask and reached over her to pull up the video.

_Back to business I see. _she thought. _But at least I got him to smile this time. _

"This is the man. Unlike you, he doesn't have to speak his spells backwards."

"Which leaves me at a slight disadvantage, don't you think?"

"Knowing you, not at all."

_Was that a compliment? _She thought to herself, shocked. _Can't wait to see what his plan is to deal with all this._

* * *

"Damn it Connor, you've got to let this go!" Black Canary yelled.

"I'm sorry, Dinah, I guess I'm just on edge."

"A near-death experience will do that to you." her voice lowered.

"That's no excuse, I just… can't believe she's gone."

He still remembered walking into his apartment a little over a month ago only to find Mia lying on the kitchen floor, dead. He could still smell the blood pouring from the gash on her head, forming a pool of crimson on the floor. He collapsed in the floor next to her, not moving for 9 hours strait. He would have been there even longer had Ollie, Dinah and Roy not stopped by to invite them to a movie. Assuming that no one was home, Ollie pulled out his key and let himself in. He was the first to Connor's side, pulling his son away from the corps of the woman he loved. Dinah had been the one to rush over to check for vitals before Connor called back "It's too late, Dinah, I already checked.". As if on cue, everyone broke out in tears, Connor burying his face in Ollie's chest screaming "Why" over and over again. A month later, the pain was still as strong as the first day. All of this coming right after his-own 'death' didn't help the matter either.

"You've got to stop blaming yourself, Connor. There was nothing you could have done."

"I could've stayed home that day instead of going out on patrol. She tried to get me to, you know… But I said it was my duty to 'serve and protect'. My **real** responsibility should've been to the woman I loved!"

"If you had stayed home, you might be dead too."

"Exactly."

No sooner had the word left his mouth than he felt the back of her hand slam into his cheek. He looked into her eyes, fury engulfing them.

"It's not all about you, Connor! Did you ever think about what that might do to Ollie? Did you ever **once** think about how this affects everyone else? It's not all about you, damn it, it's about a girl we all loved who's dead because of some bastard who's identity still hasn't been uncovered! So man-up and stop whining!"

For a moment he just stood there under her gaze, then, he spoke up.

"You're right, Dinah, I'm sorry I've been acting so selfish. Thanks for showing me that."

"If your own family can't shoot strait with you then what kind of 'family' are they? And don't worry, Ollie and Roy are both putting their full attention on finding out who killed Mia, and as soon as they find out, we'll be the first to know."

"Until then, I guess we're stuck playing the 'waiting-game'." He sighed. "I can't wait to nail the bastard who killed her."

"We all feel the same way, but until then, let's focus on the here and now. We've been asked to help with this crisis and we owe it to Bruce to give it our full attention."

"Agreed. Well, now w--"

He was cut off by Batman's voice coming over the intercom.

"**ATTENTION, WE WILL BE LANDING IN T-MINUS 11 MINUTES. PREPARE FOR IMMEDIATE DEPARTURE. BATMAN OUT."**

Black Canary cracked a smile.

"Does that answer your question?"

He let out a brief chuckle, picked up his bow and quiver and left the room, with Black Canary right behind him.

* * *

Nightwing made one last check of his equipment. He knew that, more than likely, he wouldn't be coming back to re-stock for awhile, so he wanted to make sure he had enough of everything.

_Smoke- pellets, check. Escrima sticks, check. Grapple, check. Spare Grapple …check. Ok, looks like everything's all here._

Batman had taught him at an early age that it paid off to make a routine check before moving into the 'war-zone'. Of course, he didn't bother to listen the first time Batman told him, but after a near-fatal incident when a grapple line snapped… actually 'snapped' wasn't quite right; it was really Deadshot who severed the line, but still the same rules applied. He made a lot of mistakes in his Robin days, he still made a few even now, but that was just something that came along with the job. Anyone who couldn't take constant life-threatening situations had no place as a hero. As he turned around to leave the room, he saw Starfire standing in front of him. He turned back around to face the wall.

_Not again. _He thought.

"What's wrong, Nightwing?"

It was Helena's voice. He turned back around to face her.

"Nothing…I was just…what do you want, Helena?"

"Just thought I would say hi, we haven't even spoken to each other in a long time."

"Gee, I wonder why." He said, bitterness tingeing his voice."Could it be because you used me; tugged at my emotions like a puppet on a damn string?!"

"I did what I had to do. I had no other choice."

"Just keep telling yourself that if it makes it easier, Helena. I washed my hands of you a long time ago."

"I came by to apologize, Dick. I know I hurt you and I'm sorry. There, I said it, now maybe Jiminy will lay-off."

He could barely believe his ears.

_Did __**she**__ just apologize? Never thought I'd see the day._

"Apology accepted." he said, before adding. "But if you expect my trust again, you'll have to earn it the old fashioned way."

"Fair enough."

Nothing more was said. She turned and left the room without another word. Nightwing stood there for a moment, replaying everything in his head, it still seemed unreal. But what bothered him the most was the fact that, for a moment, he saw Kory again.

_I'm not sure what's going on, but I don't have time to worry about it now. I'll deal with it when this is all over. _After one more equipment check, he moved to the door.

* * *

After finishing with his announcement, Batman turned to Zatanna, standing to his immediate left.

"Ready?" he asked.

"I was born ready, Bruce" she replied, smiling.

"Be on your guard, we could only tell so much from the video. They could have more abilities we don't know about."

"That still gives us the advantage. They don't know **anything** about us."

"True. Still, it's better to play it like they do. I've never been caught unprepared, Zatanna, and I'm not about to start now."

She paused for a moment.

"Bruce, is there something you're not telling me?"

For a short time he stood there, silent and unmoving, finally, he responded.

"There's a good chance one of us may not make it back."

"What makes you think that?" she asked, placing a hand on his cheek.

"I have this feeling… a feeling that I don't get very often… it's the same feeling I had the night my parents were murdered... And again when Jason was killed."

Her eyes widened.

"I've learned to trust that feeling over the years."He took another brief pause, then, continued. "It hasn't been wrong yet, but I'm hoping this will be the first time."

She threw her arms around his neck and whispered gently in his ear.

"Poor Bruce. I know this must be very hard for you, but please realize… you can't stop the inevitable."

"Maybe not." he said grimly. "But I can sure as hell try."

She slowly released her grip and took a step back.

"Well, I'd better go meet with the others." She feigned a smile. "I'll see you in a bit."

She turned and left the room. Once outside, tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.

"Poor, poor Bruce." she whispered. "Why won't you let anyone else help bear your pain? Damn you, you know there's nothing you can do to stop fate, and yet you continue to try. Poor, poor Bruce."

She stood alone in the corridor for awhile, drying her eyes. She couldn't let anyone see her like this, they might ask questions, and questions were something she just didn't want to deal with right now. Finally, with her composure regained, she made her way to the briefing room.

* * *

Everyone gathered in the briefing room, talking amongst themselves, waiting for Batman to enter. Nightwing and Kyle Rayner were having a discussion about the appropriate time for practical jokes. Or rather, Nightwing was discussing, Kyle mostly stood there nodding his head. On the other side of the room Black Canary and Batgirl were becoming better acquainted. Everyone else was in a circle together talking about everything from the best place in New York to get hot dogs to global warming. Zatanna stood in the corner alone for awhile, catching bits and pieces of everyone else's conversations, until Nightwing finally noticed she was alone and came over to keep her company.

"How's it been, Zatanna?" He said, giving her a brief squeeze.

"Fine, Nightwing." She replied, gently patting his back."It's been a long time."

"Too long…So…I heard you and Bruce were..."

"Don't even start!"

"Oh c'mon, since when have you known me to 'start' anything?" he chuckled.

"You really haven't changed a bit."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Of the highest regard." she snickered.

"Why aren't you over there catching up with everyone?"

"I see Dinah and Connor all the time."

"That's not it. Something's troubling you, I can tell. Care to share?"

"You're more like Bruce than you know." she smiled "I never could hide anything from him either."

"We're friends, Zatanna, you can trust me."

Trust wasn't the issue. She knew she could trust almost every person in the room. That was exactly why she couldn't tell them. She could see clearly in her head the repercussions her telling would have. They would all nervously watch each others backs, trying to prevent anyone but themselves from getting hurt. In doing so, more could be lost. She'd learned to trust Bruce's instincts, so this couldn't be ignored. In order to protect as many as possible she did something she hated to do. She lied.

"Sorry, Dick, I just didn't get any sleep last night, my head was killing me."

He didn't believe her, that much she could tell, but as long as he left it alone, it didn't matter.

"Sorry to hear that."

"It's ok, I'm fine now."

"Glad to hear it."

_She's lying. Bruce must've told her something he didn't tell the rest of us. Maybe he just brought up the fact that we may not all make it back. Still puzzles me why he stated that. Either way, something has Zatanna so upset she may pass out any minute. Damn you, Bruce, what did you tell her!?_

He blinked, realizing he'd gotten lost in his thoughts again. He'd been doing that too often lately. Finally, he broke the silence.

"We should be landing any minute now."

"Yea, we'd best get prepared."

"I was prepared before he came over the speakers."

"Like I said, you're more like him than you know." she smiled.

Suddenly, the lights began flashing red, causing several to jump. A half-second later, the alarm blared and Batman's voice boomed over the intercom.

**"ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSLES INCOMING! EVERYONE BRACE FOR IMPACT!" **

Nightwing didn't waste a second; he'd been in this situation before.

"Ok guys!" he yelled over the alarm. "Stay calm and this will be a lot easier. We've got Kyle's power ring to get us to the ground if needed, but in the meantime take a seat and fasten your seat-belts. This isn't going to be fun!"

Everyone did as they were told without hesitation. Batman's voice blared over the intercom once again.

**"IMPACT IN THREE…TWO…" **

The impact jerked them all violently.

**"CRITICAL HIT! G.L. GET EVERYONE OUT OF HERE NOW!"**

"Everyone unfasten those seatbelts and hang on." Kyle said, focusing all of the rings power into a giant fist and punching an opening in the ceiling.

Suddenly, everyone was bathed in a green glow and began lifting out through the opening. The island base was in full view now, its size was immense, easily the size of the Crystler Building, if not bigger.

"What about Batman?" Connor said frantically.

"Don't worry, he has a plan." Nightwing assured.

"How do you know?"

"He **always** has a plan. Take us to the island, Kyle. Fast."

"You got it!"

Kyle zipped forward, jerking everyone nearly out of their skin. Nightwing kept his eyes on the jet.

_He still hasn't punched out. Why the hell hasn't he punched out?_

As if to answer his question, the ejector seat suddenly broke free into the sky.

_There he is._

"Kyle let's get to Batman befo--"

He was cut off by the sound of ground-based rocket-launcher. He and the rest of the group could only watch in horror as the projectile met its target, Batman's ejector-seat. Upon impact the large explosion sent shockwaves, both physical and emotional, to the group. Green Lantern was barely able to maintain his concentration enough to hold everyone, including himself, in place. Nightwing quickly spoke up, his voice was shaky, but he tried to hide it.

"Lantern, get us groundside now."He failed to cover it up. "We'll plan our next move from there."

"Sure thing, Nightwing." He replied quickly, a lone tear glistening on his cheek.

* * *

Once on the island, Nightwing took a quick headcount.

_Dinah, Connor, Kyle, Helena, Cass, Selena, Zatanna, Jason… _

"Wait, where's Alan?" he asked quickly.

Black Canary spoke up. "He left last night. An emergency back home. Batman told me this morning."

"Oh… alright then, thanks Canary."

_You really should tell me things like this, Bruce. _

"Well, now that everyone's here, let's discuss our battle plan. Rayner, what did you learn from your scan of the area?"

"We're in for one helluva fight, Nightwing."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Ground sensors all over the place. Luckily the ones on this side of the island are down for some reason."

"Must've been caused by the shockwave."

That last word sent a chill down his spine. Kyle continued.

"Right. Sensors are still operational around the entrance though. Ten machine-operated turrets surround the base, as well as five manually operated ones. And if the number of guards on the outside is any indication…"

"I get it. What kind of weapons are they carrying?"

"Everything. Some of them look like weapons out of an old sci-fi flick."

"So, in other words, we're in for one helluva fight."

"Give that man a prize!"

Everyone let out a brief chuckle. They all wished they could laugh more, but the air was still heavy.

"Kyle, give us a visual of the grounds, if you'd please."

As Kyle nodded, his ring began glowing, then, out of nowhere, a detailed map of the area appeared in front of them.

"Ok, boys and girls." Nightwing said, motioning everyone in closer. "Here's what we're gonna do!"

* * *

**And, there she is! Hope you guys enjoyed this heart-wrenching chapter. I have to say, it wasn't easy to write. Oh, and, you may be wondering about Connor's "death", well, that can be easily explained by reading the awesome comic book series Green Arrow & Black Canary, currently written by Judd Winick (although he'll be leaving it soon...sob). If there are any other questions you have, whether they pertain to the story or not, please message me! oh, and before I forget... REVIEWS ARE WELCOME!!  
**


	4. Base Assault

**Well, I know it took awhile, but here she is, chapter 4 of Worlds Collide! Sorry it took so long, but I've been really busy these past few months and haven't had time to do a lot of writing. Anyways, I hope you'll find this chapter was worth the wait. Sorry it's a little short, but I wanted to get a new chapter out as soon as I could, so I had to cut this one down a little bit, the next chapter should be a bit longer though, maybe that will make up for it. Either way, I hope you guys enjoy this and leave me a review. Oh, and in case you didn't notice, I also have a small section at the bottom of each chapter where I leave a few comments, if you're interested in that sort of thing.**

* * *

Nightfall crept slowly over the island as everyone stood, waiting for Nightwing's signal to begin the assault.

"How much longer?" Catwoman said, stepping out from the shadows.

"Patience is a virtue, Selena; you might try practicing it sometime."

"In my line of work 'patience' can get you killed."

"Maybe you should find a new line of 'work'."

"Not likely. Anyway, how will we know when to move?"

"See that tree stump over there?" He said, pointing strait ahead.

"Yes, what about it?"

"When Black Canary gets into position, G.A. is going to fire an arrow into it, then, after Canary finishes her part, G.L. fires a bolt of energy into the air and everyone moves in." He paused for a moment, and added. "Wait, I already explained all this at the briefing, or weren't you listening?"

"I **was**…mostly."

He let out an annoyed sigh.

"Just be ready."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Green Arrow gave the signal.

"Alright, we have about ten seconds; I'd cover my ears if I were you."

They braced themselves, hands covering their ears, hearts throbbing with anticipation. This fight had become personal. It had become personal as soon as these bastards had made their attack on Batman. Everyone was upset, sure, but to these two it went much deeper. Nightwing's mind continued to gravitate around the same thought.

_I'm an orphan again._

Between the two of them, both a lover, and a father had been lost. But this was their chance; they would make his killers pay for what they had done! Nightwing,at first, had tried to think of the ways Batman may have been able to survive the explosion, perhaps a decoy or something, after all, he **always** had a plan. But this time he had actually **seen** Bruce in the seat, and, decoy or not, no one left the jet before the islands turrets made quick work of it. He had even sent Green Lantern to search the wreckage after it sank…still nothing. All of his hopes and theories had died shortly after their conception, but at least he still had the chance to make Bruce's killers pay. Finally, he snapped back to the matter at hand.

_It's been fifteen seconds and still no peep from Canary. Did she run into trouble? Maybe I should-._

His thoughts were cut off by the sudden shriek of Black Canary's scream. He looked up to the sky and saw a bolt of solid green, piercing the blackness of the night.

"Let's move!" He said, already bolting forward.

* * *

Black Canary, having finished her part of the mission, watched the sky closely, waiting for Green Lantern's signal. Within about one second, she saw a large, green bolt flash across the sky.

_Here we go._ She thought to herself, breathing a sigh of relief.

She was afraid that her delay might have thrown everything off. It wasn't her fault; as soon as she got into position, a guard spotted her and came charging. It only took her 4 seconds to deal with him, but on a mission like this, a single seconds' delay could ruin everything. She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, where they belonged, after all, the past was the past and there was nothing she could do except, learn from her mistakes. She quickly made her way from the roof down to ground-level just as all hell was breaking loose. It didn't take long for five heavily armed guards to turn their attention towards her. Before they had a chance to fire a single shot, she unleashed her Canary Cry, after making sure none of her teammates were within range. All five of them fell to their knees and ripped off their helmets, cupping their hands over their ears, trying desperately to stop the surging pain now assaulting their ears. As soon as she saw they were down, she didn't waste a second in making her move. She charged toward them at full speed, already planning how to take each of them down with as little effort as possible. As he reached the first, he was still trying to regain his equilibrium; a chick chop to the neck put him down instantly. The next was up on one knee, just a few feet away from the first, but another quick chop put him down before he could move another inch. The other three, regaining their senses, began firing AK's wildly in her direction, taking no care to avoid their comrades. Thinking fast, she reached down; picking up the AK the other guard had dropped at her feet, and hurled it at the guard furthest away; still with shock, the guard only stood their as the gun struck him in the face, knocking him out cold. Before the gun even met its target, she was already moving toward the other two; the two of them standing side by side only made it easier for her. About three feet from them, she made a graceful leap in the air. As she vaulted over the top of them, she reached down, placing a hand on each of theirs heads and slammed them together. The fight seemed to her, to have lasted for hours, but the fact was, it had taken just over a minute to dispatch all five of them. She had been in countless fights, and that's how they all felt, long and drawn out. A part of her loved the thrill, the rush of not knowing whether or not you would last the next five seconds, but another part of her hated the fact that it was necessary for her to fight. Taking a quick scan of the battlefield, she noticed that almost all of the guards were down. Jason Todd was dealing with the last two left standing, as everyone else made their way towards her.

* * *

After a brief reprise, it was time to move again. Nightwing decided it would be best for Black Canary to lead the charge into the facility, based on her combat experience. She agreed, provided Nightwing back her up. He gave a quick nod. He knew he wasn't in the right mind to lead the strike, he still wanted to bash in the skull of every soldier he saw, and, until that feeling passed, he knew he couldn't trust himself. For now, at least, he had to be susceptible to someone else's authority. Everyone listened to Canary intently, knowing there was no time for her to go over the plan more than once, in fact, there was barely time for **one** briefing.

"And, that's it." she finished. "Remember, we can't risk any more mistakes, and that goes for me, as well as all of you. Everyone clear?"

"As clear as we have time for, Canary." Nightwing responded.

"True. Alright guys, move out!"

As planned, Green Lantern led the charge, using a blast of green energy to burst through the reinforced, led-lined walls. Nightwing's thoughts raced as the team made their way through the complex.

_Looks like Luthor had this place ready to deal with Superman; all the led proves it. Little does he know, he's got something much worse than a Superman on his hands…He has the pissed-off surrogate son of a loose-cannon vigilante on his ass._

After making it down the first hallway, they came upon to different paths.

"Just like we planned team, split up!" Canary said, taking the path on the right.

"Canary, wait!" Zatanna said urgently. "There's an easier way to do this! Wosh eht tcerroc htap!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than a small, glowing ball appeared above their heads, then, without warning, moved quickly down the hallway on the right.

"Good thinking Zatanna." Canary said, taking off after the ball, not wasting a moment.

Without missing a beat, everyone followed suit, no one content to fall behind. As they came to the end of the hall, they noticed a giant, reinforced, titanium door blocking their path.

"Do you're thing, Zee." Nightwing said, giving Zatanna a quick nod.

Without hesitation, she spoke her spell. "Rood nepo!"

To her surprise, the door didn't budge.

"Damn it!" Nightwing cursed. "It must have Nth metal woven into it."

_Leave it to Lexcorp to think of everything… Well, maybe not __**everything… **_

"Guess this means we have to do this the hard way." He continued. "Lantern, you see those four hinges, one in each corner?"

"Yeah, what about them?"

"Focus your ring in four directions and burn through them."

"You got i--"

"Wait!"

"But, you just told me to--"

"I wasn't finished. You have to make sure you burn through them evenly; even one centimeters difference and this won't work. Canary, when I give the word, blast the door with everything you've got. Everybody ready?"

"Ready." Canary said, quickly.

"As I'll ever be." Kyle chimed in.

Kyle aimed his ring towards the door, four small, emerald beams splitting off from its center. He always hated having to split his concentration like that, no matter how many times he had done it before. Of course, he also wasn't crazy about the fact of having everything riding on him. One mistake and everything was blown wide open, with no one to blame but himself. _Easy, Kyle. _He thought to himself as the beams made contact with the hinges.

_You've had to split your concentration in more directions than this a million times, this is nothing new. You can't screw up now, if you do, Batman's murderers will never get what's coming to them. You want a piece of them, don't you, Kyle? Yeah, that's right. Motivation, baby, motivation._

"I'm almost through them." He announced finally.

"Good." Nightwing replied.

_It's funny he thinks he has to tell me that when I'm looking right at the hinges. Ok, almost there… I just hope this works… _

A split-second later his muscles tensed and he gave Black Canary the command.

"NOW!"

Standing directly in front of the door, she opened her mouth, a sonic-blast ripping from her throat. She forced everything she could into the blast, knowing exactly what Nightwing was thinking. The door flew off of its hinges, falling with a monstrous thud on the other side of the doorway. Black Canary felt the last of her strength leave her as she fell down on one knee. Green Arrow immediately rushed to her side.

"Are you okay, Dinah?"

"I'm fine, Connor." she replied, standing back up. "Just took a lot out of me, that's all."

"Dinah, do I look stupid to you? You pushed yourself too hard!"

"I didn't have a choice!"

"Pardon me for interrupting this lovely mother/son moment, but can you two stop screaming at each other until **after** we wrap things up?"Nightwing interjected.

They each gave a quick nod.

"Now, unless I miss my guess, there should be another team of guards around the next corner, everybody ready?"

Catwoman spoke up. "Well, now that you mention…"

"That was rhetorical; we don't have time to go over our plan again. Everybody move!"

He led the charge down the next corridor, giving Black Canary a chance to take a breather. As they got to the end, he was the first to round the corner; what he saw froze him in place.

"What is it, Nightwing?" Huntress called out.

"Things just got a bit more complicated." he said, just as everyone caught up to him.

Ahead of them was something they hadn't planned for; Talia al Ghul and about one thousand of her ninjas standing alongside Lady Shiva, Deathstroke and, perhaps most surprisingly of all, Hush.

Talia spoke, her voice echoing off the walls. "You disappoint me, Richard, I expected you much sooner."

"Good, disappointing you is what I live for." he replied through clenched teeth.

"Well, what do we do now?" Batgril whispered.

"Doesn't look like we have much choice, Cass." Nightwing replied

"Finally!" Green Lantern said excitedly. "Let's kick some ass!"

"Easy there, Lantern." Nightwing cautioned. "You charge at these guys without thinking, you'll be the one getting your ass kicked. Canary, you up to dealing with Shiva?"

"I'll manage."

"Alright, Connor, Cass, you're with me, Deathstroke is our target. Helena, Selena, focus on Talia. Jason, you've got Hush. Zatanna and Kyle, you provide support."

"Basically, you mean we get to kick the crap out of the ninja's so they don't bug the rest of you, right?"

"Pretty much, Rayner."

"Times like this are why I get out of bed in the morning."

"Glad to hear it. Zee, stick close to Kyle; I don't want more than five feet between the two of you, got it?"

"Got it." she replied.

"Good. Now, let's move!"

No sooner had the words left his mouse than everyone bolted for their target.

* * *

**Well, that's the end of chapter 4! For this chapter, I really wanted to show off Black Canary's fighting skills. Arguably, this is HER chapter, I tried to give her as many cool moments as I could without using up all of my ideas for her. Also, it's always kind of bugged me that, when reading a comic, or watching a movie etc. sometimes the heroes will do things a complicated way just to build up drama, when there's a very easy way to get a job done... I wanted to change that formula a bit. Originally, I had the the group split up into two teams when they came to the fork in the hall. Then, I started thinking "Wait... Zatanna is there, she could show them the way with a spell." so I did it, granted it wasn't as dramatic, but I wanted to be as realistic about it as possible, I mean, why split up when you don't have to? Of course, this did create a slight problem... What do I do for dramatic effect? Well, I thout about it and started realizing that, with Zatanna there, things could get a bit too easy. So I either had to pull her out, or do what any good writer does and overcome this challenge...I chose the latter... After they came to the door, I thought, "Wait a sec, what's a substance in the DCU that nullefies magic? Why, Nth metal, of course!" And, there you have it! Instance dramatic krutch haha!... it also gave me an excuse to show off GL and Canary's abillities a bit more... Wow, this was a long end-note... anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully you'll stick with me to the end of this little journy.  
**


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